Grüezi From Switzerland!
"Discovering the most beautiful parts of this country on foot is so much more than simply a sporting achievement. It can put everyday problems in perspective, help you to organise your thoughts or simply to switch off completely." Long-Distance Hikes in Switzerland (Kümmerly + Frey)
6/24/23 - I don’t know how I kept it under wraps that I’ve been planning a super duper solo hike in Switzerland. Originally this time was set aside to hike the Colorado Trail with Tara. However, when it became clear the snow was likely not going to clear in time, we postponed our CT hike until late July. I almost called my cat sitter to let her know she was off the hook for June but then I thought, I already set this time aside with nothing tying me down… how else could I spend this time?
Switzerland has been at the top of my bucket list for a while, and it just so happens there are direct flights from Boston to Zürich, a perk of living on the east coast. My family roots can be traced back to Switzerland in the Emmental region, so I always thought it would be cool to visit. I’ve been captivated by images of narrow green ridge lines and the idea of hiking from inn to inn, European holiday style. So I went ahead and booked a round trip flight this spring wanting to take advantage of lower fares, though I didn’t exactly have a plan yet for what I would actually do.
After a bit of research, I landed on hiking the Swiss Via Alpina - Green Trail. From the eastern terminus in Vaduz, Lichtenstein, it traverses 242 miles along the Swiss Alps across the entire country to Montreux, kissing the edge of Lake Geneva. It encompasses 14 alpine passes with a total elevation gain of 77,100ft, which is a bit insane if you think about it. By comparison, Vermont’s rugged Long Trail is 30 miles longer at 272 miles with “only” 66,000ft of elevation gain. Yikes… what am I getting myself into? From what I’ve read this hike is not for the faint of heart, with narrow ledges and steep drop offs. However, it is well traveled with plenty of built in ropes, rungs, and ladders. If you’re not keen on heights though, this trail may not be for you!
Tina van Heerden established a women's FKT on the Swiss Via Alpina in 2020 (8 days, 5 hrs, 26 min) - her trip report is inspiring and a great read. Based on my flight schedule, I calculated that if I immediately zipped over to the starting point in Vaduz, Lichtenstein after landing, I would have nearly 8 full days to reach Montreux and complete the trail before hightailing it back to Zürich and flying home. It seemed like sort of a wild idea to complete the trail in a week, which made the decision to try a no-brainer!
I hopped on an evening flight, arriving in Zürich just before 8am this morning (Saturday 6/24). I’m currently on a train heading to Sargans, and from there will find my way by bus or taxi to Gaflei, Lichtenstein where I’ll begin my journey with a cool 24 or so miles, mostly downhill then along a river valley to Weisstannen.
Me being me, I created an ambitious itinerary, which I’m hoping will be juuust challenging enough while still being a (type 2) fun vacation. On top of that, some things I’m hoping to get out of this trip:
-Put my trip planning to the test and go for my first solo international excursion! Heck yeah!
-Get myself into tip top shape ahead of the Colorado FKT attempt
-Gain a little experience at higher altitude, and like Colorado, get practice with being flexible on timing going up and over the high passes while avoiding thunderstorms (if I can help it)
-Go out of my comfort zone, meet new people, try new things, attempt speaking in Swiss German and French even if I feel foolish
I haven’t totally decided how I want to share about this hike yet. Something is holding me back from posting in the moment on Instagram. I think because I don’t want to be distracted by social media while taking in this big experience. But I like the idea of sharing daily updates, so I think my happy medium will be, sending this initial letter so you, my dear readers whose inbox spaces I respect very much, are the first to know about this cool adventure I’m about to embark on.
Then from here, I’ll plan to post daily recaps blog-style on mercuryontherun.com with an accompanying blurb on social media. All the updates will show up right on my homepage. That way you can check in at your leisure if you are so inclined, and I’ll plan to follow up in next week’s newsletter with a general reflection on the trip and links to all the daily recaps. Win win!
Lasst die Wanderung beginnen!
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